News: ‘Freedom Food’ gangmasters lose licence for alleged human trafficking

A gangmaster company that is a member of the RSPCA’s ‘Freedom Food’ welfare scheme has had its licence revoked on suspicion of human trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation. According to the Guardian, a 52-year old man and 50-year old woman from the company, which cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested in […]

News: Learning management systems sector is now a “buyer’s market”

A combination of increasing commoditisation and slowing growth in the adoption of learning management systems is making it a buyer’s market, research has indicated. A report conducted by Bersin & Associates predicted that sector growth was likely to drop to 10.4% globally between 2012 and 2013 compared with 14.7% between 2011 and 2012 – although […]

News: One in 5 UK workers fail to earn Living Wage

A huge one in five UK workers fail to earn a Living Wage, with people in Northern Ireland and Wales particularly badly hit, according to research. A study undertaken by financial information services company, Markit, on behalf of management consultancy, KPMG, revealed that some 4.82 million employees across the country do not receive the £7.20 […]

News: 1/3 of workers fiddle travel expenses to top up pay

Nearly one in three staff regularly top up their monthly pay by fiddling travel expenses, adding extra to taxi fares or claiming for non-business-related trips. According to a survey of 1,000 UK employees undertaken by expense management software provider, Spendvision, about 23% routinely ask for a blank receipt in order to add a few extra […]

News: Earnings growth to remain weak for next five years

Current weakness in the labour market means that wage increases will continue to be muted for the next five years, with the average pay award estimated to be between 2.2% and 2.5%. According to the Centre for Economics and Business Research, even though the UK has now officially exited recession, the slack in the labour […]

News: Eight ways to cope with the clocks going back

As the clocks go back this Sunday and the days continue to darken, millions of workers will once again find themselves suffering from the winter blues as British summertime officially ends. The short days can have a significant impact on some employees’ health and wellbeing, but the time change can also lead to short-term complications […]

News: CBI union proposals dismissed as “attempt to weaken employees’ voice”

CBI proposals to bring trade union laws “up to date with the modern workplace” have been dismissed by the TUC as simply an attempt to “weaken employees’ voice”. In a speech at law firm Eversheds‘ Labour Relations Conference yesterday, Neil Bentley, the CBI’s deputy director general, attested that, while unions continued to play a constructive […]

News: Dyson sues Bosch after discovering ‘spy’ on its staff

Dyson is suing German rival Bosch after claiming that it paid a spy to steal company secrets while working at the British engineering group’s high security research and development unit. The company attests that a rogue employee, who is thought to be Chinese, had been handing information over to Bosch divisions in the UK and […]

News: Birmingham equal pay ruling could open claim floodgates

Thousands of workers could now bring equal pay claims dating back six years rather than six months after 174 women won a “landmark” ruling against Birmingham City Council. The Supreme Court ruled that members of the so-called ‘Abdulla Group’, which was named after the woman whose name was at the top of the list, could […]

Blog: The dangers of pulling rank – ‘Do you know who I am?’

There have been a couple of well-publicised incidents recently in which well known figures have allegedly pulled rank – whether it be Andrew Mitchell and his altercation with a policeman or George Osborne using a first class seat with a standard class ticket asking the ticket inspector ‘do you know who I am?’ (according to […]

News: Afternoon naps boost staff health and productivity

Allowing employees to take an afternoon nap is not only good for their health, but also improves their ability to concentrate and learn, a study has found. A review of US and European research revealed that if workers took a 30 minute siesta three times a week, they were 37% less likely to die of […]

News: EU debate on female board quotas postponed

A European Union debate on proposals that would force female quotas of 40% on company boards across Europe has been postponed amid concerns that they could be unlawful. The move will give EU Justice commissioner, Viviane Reding, a chance to review her plans, which are opposed by at least 11 of the 27 commissioners, including […]

News: Mobile commerce joint venture outsources HR

A newly formed mobile commerce joint venture dubbed ‘Project Oscar’ has outsourced its transactional HR activities in a bid to set up a cost-effective HR function quickly. The joint venture between Everything Everywhere, O2 and Vodafone will enable in-store shoppers to purchase goods using their smartphones as an alternative to cash, credit cards or loyalty […]

Blog: Does Boris demonstrate the five fundamentals of leadership? Part 2

The hype surrounding the Boris Johnson shows no sign waning, especially after his attention-grabbing speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago. As mentioned in part 1, Johnson is a performer – though, when you look beneath the gags and standard routines, is there something far more complex and substantial […]

What political leaders can teach us about presenting

Not only do HR directors and other senior executives need to be able to present well, but they also have to convince their audience that they are natural born leaders. Whether giving a presentation at an Annual General Meeting, to the entire workforce at a staff away day or to the great and the good […]

News: Decision to retire ageing chairman could open FA to legal challenge

The failure of the Football Association’s chairman to extend his tenure beyond his 70th birthday could leave the organisation open to legal challenge, a lawyer has warned. The FA’s Council voted by 45 votes to 40 to reject a proposal both to waive a rule requiring directors to stand down when they turned 70 and […]

News: Apprenticeship scheme for spooks unveiled

The UK’s top spy agencies are to offer 100 school-leavers a two-year apprenticeship in becoming a spook in a bid to protect the country from cyber-criminals. According to the Foreign Office, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ will all offer on-the-job work placements in an attempt to “harness experts from the ‘X-box’ generation who have grown up […]

News: HR needs to break out of its comfort zone, warns report

Too many HR professionals are struggling to meet the needs of a constantly changing global business environment and feel themselves paralysed in the face of seemingly monumental challenges, research has warned. The study mirrors the findings of a report published earlier this week by management consultancy, KPMG, which revealed that the majority of senior executives […]

News: Met’s tattoo ban could be “indirectly discriminatory”, warns lawyer

The Metropolitan Police’s decision to ban both officers and civilian staff from having visible tattoos could be indirectly discriminatory in certain circumstances, a lawyer has warned. The Met’s commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, has ordered personnel who already have visible body art to cover it up as it could “damage the professional image” of the UK’s largest […]

News: 1 in 5 Londoners get poverty wages as MPs go for 4 times average

Even though one in five Londoners now receive poverty wages, the Parliamentary watchdog has proposed that MPs’ pay should leap by a huge 40% to ensure earnings of four times the national average. Despite the recent Westminster expenses scandal and pay freezes across many parts of the country, a consultation document published by the Independent […]